THE SEED-STARTING TRAIN KEEPS ON CHUGGING

This is the hardest part of growing plants from seed, if you ask me. I started my first seeds at the end of February and I was so into them. I tended them lovingly. I checked on them four times a day.

And now, well the relationship has changed. There are still plants to be started and hundreds to be tended. But there are far more pressing and exciting jobs to do in the actual garden. Frankly, I get a little sick of my seedlings by now because they are just so needy. Well not really, but they apparently want water, light and warmth.

I jest. A little. But I will admit that I don't approach the care of my little baby plants with the same zeal that I did two months ago. Still, I've put a lot of effort into them so far. This is no time to shirk my responsibilities.

The tomatoes have grown about another four inches or more since I shot this photo.

Let's start with the tomatoes. I never used to start my own tomatoes from seed but you can grow so many interesting varieties that you just can't find if you buy plants. I planted 80 tomato seeds from eight varieties, two in each soil block, just in case one didn't germinate. Guess what? I had 100% germination! After thinning, that means I have 40 tomato plants. In case you were wondering, I have room to grow about 10 tomato plants in total, and my mom is growing a few different varieties that I'd also like to try. All will find homes, but seriously, next year, someone tell me to control myself!

Anyway, the tomatoes are growing far better than any other year. I can't explain why, but I did start feeding them about once a week with a very dilute fish fertilizer after I transplanted them to 4-inch pots. But the fact that they are growing so well is becoming a problem. It's still too cold for them to be outside in the temporary greenhouse (nights are still cold here), but they have outgrown all my lights. I may have to start adjusting the height on my racks inside to accommodate them.

Nicotiana in the back with tiny Plectranthus in the front.

Peppers and eggplant under LED lights.

Everything else is growing well, although not as rapidly as the tomatoes. I've had two relative disasters: gomphrena (only two germinated out of 16; something I blame on not soaking the seeds long enough before sowing) and zinnias, which continue to be a thorn in my side. I plan on direct sowing zinnias later, but I like to start a few ahead as well, especially the Profusion zinnias that I like to use in containers. Only about four the Profusion seeds germinated in each of the two colors I planted. I'm really sad about that and I have no explanation for it.

Out in the greenhouse, the foxgloves, poppies and parsley are trucking away, seemingly not minding the cool nighttime temperatures.

And believe it or not, there are seeds yet to be sown. I wanted to start a few cucumbers and lettuce inside ahead this year, just to extend the season a little bit. I'll direct sow each as well. I also went to get more decorative with my lettuce planting, which will be easier to do with plugs rather than seeds.

I did a quick Facebook live video Monday night after work where I sort of ran around the garden looking at seeds, so for the complete rundown of what's happening in seedling land, check that out below (worst freeze frame ever; it's like Facebook purposes picks horrible scenes).



How are you feeling about your seedlings now? Are you still as fired up as you were in late winter?

HOW TO POT ON TOMATO SEEDLINGS

There comes a time in every seedling's life when it must move out of its cramped confines into bigger digs that will allow it to keep growing.

Given proper heat and light, tomato seedlings grow faster than most other kinds of seeds, so they need almost constant tending from the moment they are planted. I sowed my tomato seeds—two seeds per soil block—on March 25, put them on a heat mat and within five days almost every seed had germinated. Within nine days I had a 100% germination rate (that's almost unheard of) for the 80 seeds I planted.

By April 4 it was time to thin the seedlings down to one per soil block (the same applies if you are planting in cells or modules). I made a quick Facebook live video showing the technique that you can view.

By the time I got home last weekend, it was clear that it was about time to pot on the seedlings. I find it easier to know when to pot on when using soil blocks because you can clearly see the roots. By examining a block I could see that long roots were coming out of the blocks in every direction. That plus the fact that the soil blocks were requiring more and more water was the signal that these babies were growing and fast.

Although all the plants look healthy, with dark green leaves and, in most cases, at least two sets of true leaves, I was surprised at how tall they were. The stems were thick, which is good, but they were all about 4 inches tall, which seems taller than usual. Perhaps the bulbs in my grow light aren't as strong as they were last year or some other factor accounts for that. The good news is that the problem is easily fixed.

Prior to transplanting, the seedlings had thick stems that were a little taller than I would have liked.

You probably know that tomatoes should be planted either in a trench or deeply so that roots will form along the buried stem. That same advice holds for potting on seedlings. I choose to transplant the soil blocks to round 4-inch pots that are deeper than many square pots. I save almost all my pots from plant purchases for this purpose and just rinse them out. I know that you are supposed to sterilize pots in between uses, but I'm a lazy gardener and I've never done this.

Transplanting is simple: Just put a small amount of potting mix—I move on real potting mix at this stage of life, although I do not use those with fertilizer already mixed in—in the bottom of the container, rest the soil block on top, then fill the rest of the container with potting mix just very lightly settling the soil on top. There's no need to firm it down as watering will do that naturally. I left only about a half inch to an inch of stem sticking up above the soil level. The buried stem will create more roots and should help the plant thrive.

When potting on, I put a small amount of soil mix in the bottom of the pot, set the soil block on top and filled with soil, burying all but about a half-inch of the stem. The buried part of the stem will grow new roots.

This is where soil blocks really shine in my opinion. Because they haven't been pried out of a cell, there is basically no root disturbance and the bottoms of the roots are nicely spread out.

There is a danger of potting on seedlings into pots that are too big. When the soil-to-root ratio is high,  it can be easy to overwater them. If you're jumping up to the size of pot I chose without a stop at a smaller pot in between, you have to really keep an eye on the water and make sure you don't drown them, allowing the roots to rot. Presuming I can keep a handle on that, these tomatoes will live happily in these pots until the beginning of June when I'll transplant them to the garden.

From here on out the care for the tomatoes won't change much from what I've been doing. They will stay under grow lights inside for several more weeks before I move them out to the outdoor greenhouse and then gradually harden them off before planting. Because tomatoes are so sensitive to temperature, I transition them very gradually. It can take them weeks to recover from a temperature or light related shock and when you're growing tomatoes in the upper Midwest, every week is precious. From now on I will also fertilize with a very dilute fish fertilizer.

The stronger I can make my seedlings now, hopefully they better off they will be when they finally get in the garden. And that means healthier plants and more tomatoes!


Following are affiliate links to some of the products I use to grow my tomatoes (and the rest of my seeds). If you make a purchase through my link, I receive a small commission, but the price you pay never changes. Thank you for your support!

THIS YEAR'S MASTER SEED LIST

Since I started growing plants from seeds in earnest a few years ago the amount of plants I produce has increased almost exponentially. That is only problematic from a space standpoint. I plant or have homes waiting for all of the plants so none go to waste and I think my garden is better because of this exercise.

Tiny basil seedlings pop up giving hope for delicious herbs to come.  A few days past this stage I'll thin out two seedlings so just one is left in each soil block or cell.

Last year, as I spent every day after work tending to plants, watering, moving trays, transferring things from the growing area in the house to the temporary greenhouse I set up to grow on and harden off plants I swore I wouldn't grow so much from seed. You can guess how that turned out.

This year I'm growing more different plants than ever from seed, and an increasingly large number of flowers. I'm trying to limit the amount of each thing I grow (I don't really need 15 parsley plants) and made a conscious effort to add flowers that can easily be direct sown.

Here's what I'm growing from seed this year (links take you to the specific seeds I ordered):

Baby nasturtiums

VEGETABLES

• Peppers *
• Tomatoes (multiple varieties from several sources)
• Eggplant
• Kale
• Cucumbers (multiple varieties, multiple sources)
• Lettuce (multiple varieties, multiple sources)
• Peas
• Arugula
• Carrots (maybe)

HERBS

• Parsley
• Basil (multiple varieties)

FLOWERS/ORNAMENTAL

• Iceland poppies
• Foxglove
• Asclepsias
• Gomphrena
• Ageratum
• Castor beans
• Nicotiana
• Calendula
• Sweet Peas (multiple varieties)
• Ammi
• Night phlox
• Zinnias (multiple varieties)
• Lobelia
• Nasturtiums (multiple varieties)
• Spanish flag
• Flax
• Cosmos
• Amaranth
• Signet marigold
• Verbena bonariensis
• Plectranthus

* Some seeds from Renee's Garden Seeds were given to me free as part of a garden writers trial program.

When you're starting that many things from seed (and trust me, seeing the list in print makes me realize I've really gone overboard this year), you need a plan. And that's where my geek flag starts flying. I'm not a big spreadsheet person, but it's the only way I've figured to efficiently manage this seed-starting operation. I keep it pretty simple, using a combination of information from the back of seed packets, Annuals and Tender Plants for North American Gardens by Wayne Winterrowd (out of print but I found a used copy on Amazon) and online resources including Margaret Roach's seed starting calculator. 

Plants grown in soil blocks are ready to pot on or transplant when the roots are coming out the sides.

When I get a seed starting date (X number of weeks before the last frost), I count back from what I think will be our last frost. That part is a bit of a guessing game, but because in general things have been warmer than usual here (well they were until we got a foot of snow this week), I used the 50% frost free date, meaning based on past data, there is a 50-50 chance the risk of frost has passed for the year. This year that date is May 14.

Once I figure out dates, I include notes on germination requirements, how to plant the seeds, germination time and anything else that's necessary to know for the seed starting portion of growing. That way I don't have to look up each thing when I'm planting. Here's a copy of my spreadsheet that you can download. Keep in mind this isn't anything fancy and all of the timing is based on my frost free date of May 14. You'll have to adjust it for your date. 

I use large rolling shelving to start seeds on, making it easy to adjust the height of lights. In the off season the rack serves as storage in the basement.

Here's a list of equipment I use for seed starting. Keep in mind though, that these things are nice to have but not necessary. Seeds WANT to grow, so if you give them some warmth and light they should do their thing. You will, however, have a lot more success if you can optimize their growing conditions, which is where this stuff comes in handy. The links below are affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase I get a small commission. You pay the same either way. Thanks for your support!

For more information on how I start seeds, check out these articles:

• How to start seeds in soil blocks
• 5 steps to growing great plants from seed
• 5 flowers that are dead simple to grow from seed
• The one vegetable you must grow this year

What are you growing from seed this year?

5 FLOWERS THAT ARE DEAD SIMPLE TO GROW FROM SEED

When I first started growing plants from seed I limited my growing to vegetables only. I can't really explain it, other than to say that it seemed like flowers might be fussy to start from seed. Boy was I wrong. Most flowers, in fact most plants, are pretty easy to start from seed. But some are just dead simple.

Here are five of my favorite super simple flowers to grow from seed. And when you see how much these plants cost at the nursery you'll wonder why you weren't doing it sooner.


NASTURTIUMS

'Cherry Rose' nasturtium

Are you sick of me blabbing on about nasturtiums yet? I'm sorry, but I really can't say enough about them. To review: They are beautiful, edible (both leaves and flowers), may help fend off "bad" insects and, most importantly, are easy as pie to grow.

The seeds are quite large, usually bigger than a pea, which makes them easy to handle and easy to plant. They have a hard seed coat, so it's a good idea to soak them first. I used to soak them overnight, but then I switched to a shorter soak of two to three hours in hot water (changing the water a couple times to keep the temp up) at about 85 or 90 degrees. I haven't noticed a bit difference, but I've forgotten seeds before while soaking and that definitely isn't good.

I usually start them with three seeds in a 4-inch pot but I've also grown them in soil blocks. They are equally easy to direct sow in the garden. I'll start several kinds early inside but then I go back later and fill in empty holes in the garden by popping in a few seeds.

Nasturtiums are great for filling in empty spots in the garden.

Start them about four weeks before your last frost date, planting them about a half-inch deep and keep them cool. You can plant them out after the danger of frost has passed. In my area they grow equally well in full sun to relatively shady conditions, but hotter areas may requite a touch of protection from full sun. The key to success with nasturtiums is to not plant them in soil that is too rich or fertilize them. If your nasturtium is growing lots of leaves and no flowers, it's because you're treating it too well.

POPPIES

Even in a crowded border, poppies will hold their own and look great doing it.

I can only speak to the simplicity of growing some poppies, as there are many varieties, but most truly couldn't be any easier and, as a benefit, they are the single easiest seed to save so you'll have as many as you need forever.

Here are the super simple directions for planting them: Throw the seeds on the snow or soil where you want them in February. I'm not kidding. That's zone 5b so you may need to adjust the timing a little, but don't sweat it. You can actually plant them by raking them in to a prepared bed, but try not to get later than a month or so before your last frost. They need light to germinate, so don't cover them. Plant them in full sun.

Equally as beautiful as the flower, or perhaps more so, the seedbeds of poppies continue to shine after the blooms are spent. 

When they are finished flowering, which isn't a particularly long time, their seed pods provide just as much interest, if not more, than the blossoms. Let them stand but later in summer cut all but a few otherwise you'll have poppies everywhere (they will readily reseed themselves). In early fall, give the seed pods you left standing a little shake. If they rattle, the seed is ready to harvest. Simply cut off the seed head, keeping it upright and just pour hundreds of seeds into a bag.

I've grown something very similar to this in the past but this year I'm adding Iceland poppies that I think I'll start indoors just to be safe.

CALENDULA

'Geisha Girl' Calendula

Also known as pot marigolds, calendula has all sorts of edible and medicinal purposes, but it's worth growing if you do nothing other than enjoy looking at it. The flat seeds are large enough to be handled easily and starting them is simple stuff.

I start them in soil blocks but small pots or cells would work fine too. Plant them about 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep as they need darkness to germinate. I put them on a seed-starting heat mat at 70 degrees. Every time I've grown them I've had about 99% germination. You can certainly start them outside as well by direct sowing. I start them about eight weeks before my last frost date and they can be planted out a couple weeks before the last frost, although I don't recall ever doing that, only because I like to plant all my annuals at the same time and so many can't be planted out early.

Orange calendulas are so bright even a few random flowers stand out in a garden. (Bonus prize for counting the number of poppy seedlings coming up in this photo.)

They come in traditional marigold colors and some shades of pink. My favorite is a bright, neon orange call 'Geisha Girl.'

NICOTIANA

Nicotina alata 'Lime Green'

I've been growing Nicotiana alata 'Lime Green' for a few years and it is a favorite. Although some Nicotianas can be extremely fussy (I once tried to grow Huichol Nicotiana even though the company I ordered from warned me it was difficult to start and sure enough, nada), this one and many others are no problem. In fact the hardest part about planting them is that the seeds are even smaller than poppy seeds so it's very difficult to not oversow.

I love how nicotianas look mixed in a bright annual planting. Because I start them from seed I'm able to plant them in masses for just pennies.

They need light to germinate, so don't cover them, just gently press them down so they have contact with the soil. I also put them on the heat mat. Then be careful to only water from the bottom or use a mister until they germinate so you don't wash them away. Start them about eight weeks before the last frost, potting them up as necessary. They can be planted outside after the danger of frost has passed.

CASTOR BEANS

I may be pushing the "flower" definition here a bit because castor beans are generally grown for their foliage but they do have beautiful, if a bit strange, flowers.

What kid hasn't been handed a cup full of dirt and a dried bean and been told to plant it as a grade-schooler? Kids are filled with pride as the bean quickly sprouts and grows to a size large enough to take it home and present it to their parents. Teachers pick beans because they are pretty much guaranteed to grow and the same holds true for castor beans.

I start them in 4-inch pots about six weeks before the last frost, planting them one per pot, about 1¼ inches deep. I give them some bottom heat to get them started on the seed mat. Once they germinate and start growing you have to be careful about giving them even light or rotate them at least once a day as the plants can take off in one direction seeking sunlight and never really straighten out.

The spiny flowers of castor bean are unlike anything else in the garden.

The key to castor beans is to make sure not to plant them out too early. They will not handle anything below 60 degrees, at least as young plants and will sulk at best and die at worst if they get colder.

It's important to note that all parts of castor beans are very poisonous, so some care must be taken in where you plant them. And although I love the spikey, bright red flowers, I don't bring them inside because I don't trust the cat to leave them alone.

I've grown 'Impala' and 'Gibsonii' and wouldn't be able to pick a favorite. 'Impala' is a "dwarf" variety, meaning it stays about 5 feet tall or less but 'Gibsonii' has spectacular flowers and has more of a tendency to flop later in the year, especially if they get dry.


There are many other flowers that grow very easily from seed but I've either never grown them (or not grown them for several years and have therefore forgotten their habits) or for whatever reason I personally haven't found them to be as easy as other people have so I left them off the main list. Still, they are worth checking out:

• Sunflowers
• Zinnias
• Cosmos
• Marigolds
• Violas

What are your favorite flowers to start from seed?

FAILURE, AND SUCCESS, COMES EARLY

We're well into seed-starting season at this point. I can tell because I'm bored with it. Well, not bored with it, but it is lot of work to check on those little guys multiple times a day to make sure they are feeling happy.

Overall, I would say my seed starting has not been as successful this year as it was last year. Granted, I'm starting way more different kinds of seeds this year and fewer of each variety (although probably more overall), so I think I'm noticing when one fails.

I sowed three kinds of basil (two rows of each). Only two on the far end germinated, but this was seed from last year  (a successive sowing suggests that's the problem as none of that variety germinated). In the second group, six of the 10 germinated, but all on one side. In the third group, five germinated (some with multiple seeds per block), mostly in the middle.

As far as cute plants go, I think few things are cuter than baby basil.

Lacinato kale is looking great and is ready to make the move to the outdoor greenhouse.

I've had more germination problems than I recall last year and have lost more than a few when they went under lights. I'm blaming that on the heat from the lights, so I've been gradually acclimating them to the big light. Still it's strange to me that even though I pretty much always put two seeds in each soil block it seems that both germinate in some blocks and none in others, but rarely does just one germinate. This leads me to wonder if I don't have a problem with my soil block mixture. I can't imagine how I could as I'm using the same ingredients and "recipe" as last year.

Things are looking sad on the tomato front.

This is my first year growing tomatoes and I just started them a week ago (well, 10 days now) as I didn't want huge transplants because I'm convinced that's not great for plants. I planted six soil blocks of each variety, figuring I'd lose one of each, have up to two for myself and two to pass along to friends and maybe a spare. But they are germinating unevenly, some are not coming up at all and others seem to be succumbing to the dreaded damping off. So I'm not really sure what's happening, but I think I'm going to start a few more in a more traditional plug tray and see if that helps.

The greenhouse is open and accepting guests!

Nicotiana is happy to be outside.

So far, I'd say parsley has been my most successful sowing this year.

Sweet peas are on a roll.

I set up the temporary greenhouse last weekend and have moved several flats of seedlings that had already been potted on out there. (Some of you have asked about the greenhouse: It's the Flowerhouse Pro and I really like it. All the shelves come with it and store flat when not in use. It has big pegs to hold it down in the wind too, but I'm not sure how it would work if it were not on grass where it could be pegged down. That's an affiliate link; thanks so much for your support!) There was just too much in the house and not enough light to accommodate them all so something had to brave the up-and-down temperatures. Everything that I moved out there seems to be doing well. My guess is that the additional light they are getting there is making up for the chill.

Those sad little shoots where there when I opened the bins I was storing tubers in. They are coloring up in the sun.

I also started some dahlia tubers last weekend. I was very encouraged when I went to my parents' house to retrieve them (they have a cool but heated garage) and they were busting out the top. Unfortunately only the top layers in each box survived. I buried them in peat, but I think they were too dry, so I bet I lost at least 15 tubers. I'm glad that the 'David Howard' tubers were on top because I didn't buy any more of those this year. I also ordered a few new dahlias, which I potted up and have in the house until they sprout.

Gardening is always full of victories and defeats. Might as well get some of the latter out of the way early in the season.

5 STEPS TO GROWING GREAT PLANTS FROM SEED

My neighbors must be understanding people. Until about midnight every night a bright white light emanates from the sliding glass door in the office, illuminating our back/side yard and, I'm assuming, that side of my neighbors' house. Fortunately their bedrooms don't face this direction, but it's bright.

Of course by this time they know the drill at this time of year. The lights are part of package when you live next to a semi-crazy gardener. Free plants and garden advice go a long way to make up for what happens during seed-starting season.

If you're into seed starting, you probably have some going by now. And if you don't, it's not too late to start. I'm of the opinion that, especially in northern areas with shorter growing seasons, starting most seeds indoors later that you probably should have is still better than direct sowing them later (the qualifier is there because some seeds just do better being directly sown or germinate and grow so quickly that there's not much benefit to starting ahead of time).

So you've sown some seeds, the next step is taking care of them. Here are some tips.

1. LIGHT, MOISTURE, HEAT

Lots more seed trays will be joining these soon.

Caring for seeds that are waiting to germinate or just starting out pretty much comes down to these three things. For light, I'm going to be honest: In almost every case, you're going to need supplemental light. Keep it close—within inches—and on for about 18 hours a day. I don't have nearly enough light to grow all the plants I start, so I give them a good start under the lights and then move them to the sunniest location I have to make room for more seeds needing a good start. If they start getting spindly, I'll pop them back under the lights on a rotating basis.

As for heat, that mostly applies to germinating seeds, so once you have sprouts, it's not as important. I feel like it's better to leave seeds on heat until about three-quarters of them have germinated, although keep in mind that most lights will produce a fair amount of heat as well.

When it comes to moisture, you want moist growing medium for seeds. In general, I think the dampness of a rung-out sponge is a good guide for what you want. I also think that watering from below by soaking a seed tray, is preferable than watering from above. If you have to water from above, use a spray bottle on the misting function. I have been using soil blocks for a lot of things and I will just fill the bottom of a tray with about a quarter inch of water and the soil blocks just suck it up. Be aware that seed trays that aren't covered will need water much more frequently than those that are covered.

2. PET YOUR SEEDLINGS
I do this naturally because I'm an unabashed plant toucher (plant touching exploits here, here and here) , but it turns out it's good to fondle your seedlings a little bit. Mechanical stress, as they call it, can help trigger an immune response that can help ward off disease. And you get to pet your plants.

3. PINCH THEM BACK

This sweet pea seedling was ready to be pinched back. You can see that I'm pinching to just above the second set of leaves.

I think this is one of the most important things you can do to create great plants. You want to create bushy plants, not spindly skinny ones, and pinching the back is the way to do this. When seedlings have about three or four true sets of leaves (this doesn't count the first seed leaves that appear), pinch back to above the second set of leaves. As plants grow you can keep pinching back but obviously to other locations as the goal is to encourage branching. I know it's hard to just cut off what you've worked so hard to grow, but it really is key to the whole operation.

4. KEEP AN EYE ON THE ROOTS

The roots popping out of the sides of this soil block were the sign that it was time to pot them on.

Unless you start seeds in large pots, which only works for some things like sweet peas and beans, you'll probably need or want to repot seedlings at least once into larger pots. Keep an eye on the root growth of seedlings; when you start seeing roots pop up around the sides it's time to repot. Soil blocks allow roots to "air prune" to a certain extent, which is helpful, but if you plant in little modules, you want to make sure to pot on before they start going in circles. It's not good to go up in size by a lot when you repot, so I usually go to a three- or four-inch pot. Use a regular potting mix at this point, but not one with fertilizer in it as seedlings are still susesptible to burning. And watch the watering, because it's easy to overwater a seedling after repotting. 

5. HARDEN THEM OFF

Small plants hanging out in the temporary greenhouse as they harden off. You can see the garden fabric to the left that I was using to cover some seedlings that had recently come outside and needed some additional protection.

All of the hard work and effort you've put into raising healthy little plants can be erased in one night if you don't properly harden them off. Hardening off plants is the process of gradually getting them used to being outside before they are planted in the garden. Temperature is a factor, but sun is even harder for plants to get used to. You can harden off plants anywhere, just start in a shady spot for a few days and then bring them in at night. Gradually work them into more sun. Garden fabric (I've always called it row cover, but maybe that's not right) is also very helpful to keep plants shaded during hardening off.

I used to load up a wagon with seed trays and pull it around the yard to adjust for the sun when I was hardening off plants. At night I'd just pull it into the garage to protect plants from low night temperatures and browsing creatures of the night. These days I use a temporary greenhouse to harden everything off.

I like to give the hardening off process an absolute minimum of a week, but usually more like two or even three weeks.

WAITING FOR SEED SIGNS OF LIFE

I hesitate to even tempt the weather gods by posting this, but holy smokes are we in a stretch of beautiful weather here. The snow is gone, the little creek in the back yard is running (and astonishingly not a single Newfoundland dog has figured that out yet), bulbs are peeking their heads out of the soil.

Only a gardener would truly appreciate all of those things because taken in a broad view, the yard and garden are an unholy muddy mess. It is all I can do to not go traipsing about trying to neaten things up.

Seeds—foxglove on the left in soil blocks and sweet peas on the right—are on a heat mat in the office. Foxglove seeds need light to germinate, which is why they are upstairs. I have two more trays of sweet peas on a heat mat in the basement as well. 

Inside, I have been tending the first seeds of the year. I sowed sweet peas and foxglove 'Dalmation Peach' last weekend, which was a week later than I wanted to. These first seeds are always nerve wracking for me. Even though I do the same thing I have done in previous years, I always worry that perhaps I've done something wrong, or something bad may have happened to the seed. I won't rest easy until I start to see some germination, and that shouldn't be until the middle of next week at the earliest.

As I look at my little pots and tiny bricks of soil, seemingly doing nothing other than occupying space, it is amazing to me to think that soon I will have a room full of seedlings doing a good job of crowding out the humans.

I can't wait.

Are you experiencing amazing weather right now? It seems like all over the country spring is springing.

One last note: I have a very quick favor to ask of you. For the first time ever, I've prepared a very, very short survey about the blog. It's four questions, and one is optional, so it should take about 20 seconds or less to do. Click here if you don't mind helping out. Thank you in advance!

WHAT I USE FOR STARTING SEEDS

It's already the third week in January and seed starting is right around the corner. I feel like I'm behind this year, having only ordered a few sweet pea varieties from Floret Flower Farm's new store. I need to start making lists and ordering soon because nothing is more disappointing that not being able to find the varieties you want.

In the meantime, I thought I'd run through what I use for my seed starting. There's nothing super sophisticated about what I use, but I'm pretty happy with the items I have. Really all that's missing is a proper greenhouse and that's not exactly something you just randomly order one day.

I'm including links (not affiliate links) to the places I think I bought these things from or somewhere else I can find them, but it's worth shopping around to look for a sale. I've found many of these items at my local garden center as well.

SEED-STARTING MATS

A heated mat not only helps seeds germinate (most seeds have a temperature at which they germinate best), but it also gives you more options for places you can germinate seeds. Many seeds don't need light to germinate, so, as long as the soil is warm enough, you can start them anywhere. For me, this means that I can do the germination step in my basement, creating more room in the areas where you have to worry about light. I have a cheap, single-tray heat mat that I don't recall the source of, and then last year I got a heavyweight double-tray mat that is great. I also got a thermostat for the mat, but it seems like I had it maxed out most of the time last year, so I don't think that's really a necessity.

Soil blocks make it easy to see when seedlings are ready to pot on.

TRAYS AND MORE

This is something to buy in bulk. You need something to hold the seeds. I like to start just about everything in some kind of module form, rather than planting a big tray and having to prick out seedlings. For some things I'll use small tray inserts, which are then put in plastic trays (be careful when you buy trays; some have drainage holes in them and some don't. I prefer ones without holes so I don't have to worry about water leakage), but last year I grew most things in soil blocks and loved it. You can read about my soil blocking experience here.

If you opt to make your own soil blocks—and I really feel like it's worth the extra effort—you'll need a soil blocker. I also like a big tray to mix everything in because there's a lot of water involved in making soil blocks. Get the optional shelf too.

Regardless of which kind of tray you go with, you'll need a few humidity domes. The shallow ones work fine; by the time plants are large enough to outgrow the dome they don't really need all that humidity anyway. Be careful things don't get too hot under the domes.

SEED STARTING MIX

You have to have something to grow this stuff in and in most cases, it should be soilless and sterile. Since most of plants I start from seed are edible and since one of the main things I want out of the vegetables I grow is for them to be organic, I choose organic seed mixes. Espoma has a nice one as does Dr. Earth. If you are using soil blocks, you can buy pre-made soil block mixes or make your own, which is my preference. You can find the "recipe" I used last year here.

This is my skinny-light setup. Note the spray bottle filled with Manure Tea.

LIGHTS

Don't feel like you need to seek out special grow lights. They are essentially souped-up shop lights. That said, I bought special grow lights. :) I have a skinny light with two bulbs in it and a larger one with four-tube lights, which is far superior. The skinny light is the auxiliary light now that I use for plants that are more mature and can survive better with mostly natural light. Don't skip on the width of your light because you'll end up having to rotate your trays multiple times a day.

I like this stand, which allows you to easily adjust the height of lights. I'm certain you could easily fashion something out of PVC pipes to do the same thing.

My dad bought my mom a stackable growing system for Christmas like this and it looks great. I really like it and had I known my seed-starting habit would grow so much, I probably would have started with something like this.

I also rely on timers to run the lights, leaving them on for about 16-18 hours a day. I don't use a special timer, just the same ones we use outside for our Christmas lights.

POTTING ON

There comes a time in every seedling's life when it outgrows its first home. My goal in seed starting is to only have to pot on every plant once before it reaches its final home in the garden, which is why I like the 2-inch soil block size. Seedlings can grow for a fair amount of time before they need to be moved into a real pot (you'll know when the roots start sticking out the sides). I have oodles of 3-inch and 4-inch plastic pots that I use to pot on seedlings. Most of them are pots I save from buying plants, but if you need to supplement your collection you can buy them.

You can reuse your trays to hold all your pots as well, but I also save flats from nurseries.

WATERING

This is a bit of a no-brainer, but obviously you need to water this stuff. I like to have a spray bottle to mist seedlings if necessary. If I use soil blocks, I water into the bottom of the tray, rather than onto the blocks, which can erode. I also like to use Moo Poo Tea to water with whenever I can. I really do think it helps.

That's everything I use for seed starting, save for the seeds, of course. What does you seed starting setup look like?

ANNUALS TO GROW FROM SEED

The end of the growing season might seem like a strange time to be talking about growing things from seed, but I find it to be a time to take stock in the garden. I've had a whole summer to figure out what worked and what didn't and yes, I'm already making mental lists about what I'll start from seed next year.

First, I'll just say that I feel like there are parts of the garden that look better this year than they ever have. I credit that to all of the annuals I grew from seed (for the first time). I was able to fill holes cheaply and easily and annuals just keep giving and giving. 

So here are some of the annuals you can bet I'll be growing from seed again next year.

1. SIGNET MARIGOLD

I knew I liked this little sweetheart of a plant because I'd purchased plants at our master gardener plant sale before. But growing it en masse made me fall even more in love with it. This is by far the most hands-off annual I think I've ever grown. In the areas where I kept it well watered, it needed no deadheading and when it got a little floppy, I cut if off by half and it just bloomed more. These plants are still covered in flowers and have been nonstop since sometime in June. Even better, they have a citrusy smell that makes them lovely to brush up against and unsavory to critters. And the feathery foliage is a great texture accent all on its own. It comes in yellow, orange and red and I'll grow all three next year.

2. GOMPHRENA

Gomphrena (aka globe amaranth) is that little pink lollipop-looking plant. I love how it punctuates a garden bed.

This one was tricky to start. I bet I lost more than half of the plants I started, but the ones that pulled through have me enamored enough to add this one to next year's list. This is another easy-going plant (once you get it going). The flower last all season and I've not had to deadhead a one. What I love about it is that the adorable little balls are like little punctuation marks in the garden. The one change I would make is that this year I grew a lavender colored one and it's a bit wishy-washy for me. Next year I'll look for something a little brighter.

3. NASTURTIUM

Nasturtium 'Vesuvius'

I have shouted from the rooftops about my love affair with nasturtiums before and they'll probably always be on my must-grow list. The highlight this year for me was 'Vesuvius', which has small leaves and holds its many flowers well above the foliage. You know, so you can actually see them, unlike a few of the varieties I grew this year.

4. SWEET PEAS

This was my first year growing sweet peas and I'll admit, they have diva tendencies. Frankly, anything that smells this good and looks that beautiful, probably has earned the right to be a little picky. I'll put them in the same spot as well, right off the path from the garage where they were nose and eye level for anyone passing by. I also grew a dwarf, non-climbing variety that was beautiful in containers but pretty short lived so I'm not sure if that will be on next year's list.

5. CASTOR BEAN

 No annual in my garden has made as much of a statement as castor bean. I learned a few lessons in growing it, not the least of which was the stake it early, but now that I know that, I don't think I'll be without its bold good looks.

6. NICOTIANA ALATA 'LIME GREEN'

This plant combines well with just about everything, brings a much-needed cooling effect to the garden and just keeps going and going. I love it and it was well worth the space it took up in my seed-starting scheme.


And here's an annual I'd like to try growing: Stipa tenuissima, aka Mexican feather grass (it's that lovely feathery number up in the gomphrena photo). I bought a dozen of these plants this year and I love the look of them in the garden. I'll grow it again, but I'd love to be able to save a little by starting it myself. Since it reseeds readily in warmer zones (it's listed as an invasive plant in some places), I'm thinking it may not be too difficult to start from seed.

Verbena bonariensis

One annual I won't bother to grow from seed next year, at least not by starting it inside, is Verbena bonariensis. I did two sowings and both were complete failures. A nice reader gave me a tip to try winter sowing it in a milk jug, so I may give that a shot, but I had enough reseeders in the garden last year that I should be able to spread them around if I'm careful.

Do you already know what you'll grow from seed next year?

HOW TO START SEEDS IN SOIL BLOCKS

I'm starting most of my seeds a new way this year and I'm absolutely loving it. Last fall I invested in a soil blocker and I've been using it for all but the largest seeds I've sown this year.

The concept of a soil blocker is that you grow seedlings potless, which restricts root growth by "air pruning" instead of roots running into the side of potting and starting in circles. This makes transplanting much smoother as the seedlings never really realize they've been moved, they just keep on growing. There are other benefits to soil blockers including not having to deal with little seed modules and the ability to rearrange your seedlings easily. For instance, you can start a tray with multiple kinds of seeds and then move them out to a lighted area as they germinate.

Although soil blockers come in a couple of sizes, I bought one that makes four 2-inch blocks and it suits my needs perfectly. It also comes with a little dibbler that creates about a half-inch hole in the top. You can remove this, but I just fill the little hole in with some soil if I need to plant seeds shallower.

The most intimidating part of using a soil blocker is creating the soil mix. I can't tell you how many recipes I read online. In the end, I just kind of came up with my own mix and it seems to be working fine. My advice would be to not sweat it too much.

You can buy bagged soil blocker mixes. I tried this one but found that I had to put it through a sieve and about three-quarters of the mix was too large to be used. I'll save that for other potting mixes, so it won't be wasted but I wouldn't call this mix ready-to-use.

As far as I can figure out, the key to a good seed starting mix for a soil blocker is small particles and moisture. You have to have something that will hold together and big chunks are not conducive to the block holding together over the long term. So almost everything I use goes through a sieve.

A few of the ingredients I use in my homemade soil blocker mix.

For my homemade mix, which I came up with after reading other recipes and just experimenting, I've been using coir bricks that I've reconstituted for at least 24 hours as a binder, a regular organic seed-starting mix, vermiculite, some worm castings and a bit of bone meal. These ingredients (or similar ones) seem to come up in almost every recipe I've seen in varying amounts.

Roughly it breaks down to these amounts, although I admit I eyeball it all and have never measured anything.

Soil Block mixture:

(Some affiliate links are used)

2 parts reconstituted coir fiber
2 parts sifted organic seed starting mix
1.5 parts vermiculite
1 part worm castings
1 part (or less) bone meal

There are a lot of large bits left after putting the ingredients through a sieve. I save these bits and will use them in other potting mixes.

I use a big soil mixing tray to work it all together, mostly with my hands. (You'll notice I'm wearing rubber gloves in the photos. That's only because the mixture gets super messy and it's hard to sow seeds when you can't find them in your hand because of all the mud!)

The next step is to add a good amount of water. Even better than water is compost tea. The amount will depend on how moist your ingredients were to begin with but you'll probably add more than you think. I mix it in with my hands, adding water until when I grab a handful, the mixture holds together a little water squeezes out. Sometimes it's helpful to reserve a little soil mixture in case you overdue it on the water.

You'll know the mixture is wet enough when liquid comes out when you squeeze it and it holds together.

Here's how you make the blocks:

1. Dip your soil blocker in water (or compost tea). This will help the soil blocks slide out and it's important to do this between every set.
2. Stick your blocker into a pile of prepared soil mix and rock and twist as you apply a lot of pressure. The point is to really jam the blocks full of the mix.
3. Flip the blocker over and test with your finger that the blocker is really packed. Especially check the end blocks as those seem to miss out sometimes. If necessary, I pack in more mix with my hands.
4. When you're satisfied that it is packed tight, take some kind of straight edge—I use a 9-in-1 painter's tool—to scrape the bottom of the blocker so that they have nice flat bottoms to sit on.
5. Put your blocker in a tray without holes and slowly depress the plunger, rocking gently a little bit to help release the blocks from the mold.
6. Repeat all steps, setting the blocks tight to one another, until the tray is full.

Wiggle the soil blocker around in the soil to pack in as much mix as you can.

When you're satisfied that the blocker is tightly packed, use a straight edge such as a painter's tool to scrape the excess off the bottom so the blocks sit nicely in the tray. 

Then you just plant the seeds as you normally would. If they are tiny seeds that are meant to be surface sown, I fill the depressions in the blocks with a little mix. Then I always sprinkle some vermiculite over the blocks after sowing to help keep them from developing a crust on top.

When all your blocks are made, it's time to sow seeds.

If you put a dome over the tray while the seeds germinate, you probably won't have to water for several days because there is enough moisture in the blocks. Once the seeds have germinated and you remove the dome, though, they can dry out pretty quickly. I just pour water in the bottom of the trays once or twice a day and keep a spray bottle handy to spritz the top if necessary.

This Redbor kale grew very well in soil blocks.

Each block had a lot of roots and it was time to pot it on in larger individual pots.

It's time to harden them off and plant them out or pot them on when you see a lot of good root growth, which of course is easy to measure since you can examine the entire block unlike when you're growing in seed trays.

Have you ever tried using a soil blocker? 

Sources (some affiliate links): I bought my soil blocker from Lee Valley Tool but it doesn't look like they sell them anymore. Here are some other options (mine makes 2-inch blocks). I use this Tidy Tray to mix my soil and I really love it. These are the coir blocks I got. A little goes a long way because it really expands. I got my soil sieve set from Garden Tool Co. and yes, it's pricey but I love it and I've been much more use out of it than I thought I would.